A roundup of news on sporting events, people and places in Southeast Michigan by columnist Jim Evans.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Saluting Sami Stormont's four-year career in Royal Oak

Here's an appropriate location for Sami Stormont, Royal Oak High's two-time all-state selection, and coach Brian Sopata. They are right in front of the school's trophy case. (Daily Tribune photo by David Dalton)Far
too often, some top high school basketball players don’t wear Nikes, they prefer
roller skates.

They’ll
play at one school for a season or two until another coach beckons. The next
thing you know, you see their names in a game program from a totally different
school the very next year.

The
grass is always greener, I guess.

Well,
the school colors at Royal Oak High School are black, royal blue and silver and
that color scheme suited senior Sami Stormont just fine.

“I’m
so proud to be from Royal Oak. I loved playing in the community where I grew
up, and with my friends. I had so much fun,” said Stormont.

Stormont
was a two-time all-state selection. Her talent was obvious from the first time
she stepped onto the high school court in the summer prior to her freshman
season. She averaged 9.7 points per game as a ninth grader, 17.8 as a
sophomore, 22.3 as a junior and 21.2 this past season.

She
occupies a remarkable 17 of 21 slots on the record board in the gymnasium.
Granted, Royal Oak High School has only been in existence for seven years, but
even dating back to Kimball and Dondero, few players if any have approached
1,542 career points. I am not sure if there ever was an all-state girls’
basketball player at either Royal Oak Kimball or Royal Oak Dondero, much less a
two-time selection.

Stormont
will be at Northwood University to play for the Coach Jeff Curtis and the
Timberwolves. Her roommate will be Delaney Kenny of Clarkston, another
outstanding player. Stormont and Kenny played AAU basketball together.

Stormont
not only excelled individually, she also helped raise both the aspirations and
expectations of an entire program.Before she joined the team as a ninth grader, the Royal Oak Highsquad worked hard but perpetually finished on
the mossy side of .500.

Coach
Brian Sopata’s Ravens have not had that neck-craning perspective since.

When
Stormont was a freshman, Royal Oak finished 12-10. Her sophomore season, the
Ravens were 12-9. As a junior, her first year as a Class A all-state selection,
the team went 18-3. This past season, Royal Oak was 17-6.

“I
remember when Sami was a ninth grader and she was having some problems with her
shot, I told her she could stay after practice if she wanted to work on it,”
said Sopata. “She looked at me and said `Are you sure?’”

That
is because nobody was sticking around afterwards in those days. Sopata would blow the final whistle at the end
of practice and the players would scatter. Not because they did not work hard.
It’s just that extra work was not in the players’ mindset just yet.
Exterminators were not needed. There were not many gym rats to be found.

These
days, there’s no echo in the gymnasium after practice is over. Stormont is not
the only one dribbling and shooting a basketball. More than one player is
working on her game.

“Sami
is not only the best player I’ve ever coached, she is also the smartest player
I have ever coached,” said Sopata. “She watches film. She goes to watch games.
She is a real student of the game.”

The
coach is certainly going to miss her.

“It
won’t hit me until the fall,” said Sopata. “Sami will still be around this
spring and summer. She’s got her workout regime already from Northwood, and then
she’ll be helping me out. It’s going to be a real change next fall, though. We
have spent a lot of time together.”

Talent
and intelligence are gifts that have to be nurtured. There are plenty of smart
people with potential grousing about their sorry lot in life. Stormont has
worked hard to get where she is at.

By
her own assessment, she was just “all right” when she was in middle school. She
was on an AAU team, but played sparingly. She worked hard on her game, and the
progress was evident.

“We
(he and assistant coach Trisha Fantucci) were tough on Sami at times,” said
Sopata. “We knew what we potentially had.”

She
scored 42 points in a game against Ferndale last year. She scored in double
figures in 65 consecutive games. She never missed a game, despite battling muscle
pulls and strains and sickness.

Sami
Stormont’s high school career is over. It was partly black and blue, but always
black, royal blue and silver. She stuck it out, along with her fellow seniors
Gabby Morton, Abby McKee-Boyes, Bella Leone and Morgan Fissell.

They
hand the reins over to talented players like Dallas Porter, Ashley Krenzer, Sam
Bartelotti and Jessica Ross.

The
level of the talent pool has risen. So have the expectations. Sami Stormont had
a lot to do with both.